St. Mary Parish hosting Spanish world premiere of The Creation

Marco Aguiar, left, Chris Ludwa and Sara Flores rehearse for the April 21 performance of The Creation at St. Mary Parish in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Marcos Aguiar keeps calling on his faith as he rehearses for a world premiere performance at a Catholic church in Indianapolis.

As the performance on April 21 nears, Aguiar can identify more and more with a deeply religious musical composer who once confided, “I fell on my knees each day and begged God to give me the strength to finish the work.”

Joseph Haydn expressed that feeling after it took him nearly two years—1796 to 1798—to complete The Creation, his musical masterpiece that celebrates the start of the world according to the Book of Genesis.

And while more than 200 years separate him from Haydn, Aguiar shares the same kind of feeling as the Indianapolis Arts Chorale prepares to perform The Creation in Spanish for the first time in 209 years.

“I have to pray every day for strength so that I can accomplish all the music I have to perform in a short period,” Aguiar says. “I pray for health and strength so that I might keep giving back to people what I receive from God.”

A native of Brazil who now lives in Bloomington, Aguiar is one of three professional soloists of Hispanic origin who will sing the major parts of the performance, joining Sara Flores and Jose Rubio.

The production of The Creation at St. Mary Church in Indianapolis continues a three-year effort by the Arts Chorale to make an artistic difference in the lives of the growing Hispanic population in the Indianapolis area.

“We really wanted to do something in Spanish to reach out to the Hispanic community,” says Chris Ludwa, the Arts Chorale’s conductor and artistic director.

“The Creation has a great deal of descriptive language and also tells a story that would relate to the Hispanic community,” he said. “For many of them, their Catholic faith is very important. It’s an integral part of their lives. They would be familiar with the story, but maybe not Haydn’s interpretation of it.”

Ludwa also hopes the performance will lead to a less divisive society.

The production’s focus won’t be on creationism or debates about immigration, but on “a beautiful new translation of a sacred text and Haydn’s sparkling music,” he says.

“Any time a musical piece can take the Gospel or one of the faith tradition stories and bring it to life through your skin and into your soul is a good thing,” Ludwa says. “Most faith traditions are seeking to keep or increase their relevancy to society. When you can take a piece like this and perform it with live singers in a beautiful place like St. Mary’s, it’s almost like providing a direct link to the divine.”

The link between music and the divine has touched the journey of faith for Aguiar, a Catholic, like Haydn.

“Without faith, life can be a torment in our modern days,” the 35-year-old singer says. “Some people will live a life running after the wrong things. I don’t deny we need the basics for our survival, but we live in a society that values more what you have than what you are, the material possessions over the spiritual life. This is a battle that we try always as artists to shine some light on, to touch people’s lives and maybe move them into a more spiritual direction.”

Aguiar hopes to achieve that goal through his singing in The Creation. Yet there is a voice beyond his own that guides him even more.

“It is not easy to try to be successful in anything in life,” Aguiar says. “And to be an artist, it is especially difficult. Faith can move you in the right direction. Without it, you cannot go anywhere. Faith is the voice of God telling you, ‘Keep going! Keep going! You will get there! Keep faith and a positive attitude!’

“We can do anything in life if we follow that voice.”

(The Creation will be performed on April 21 at 8 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 317 N. New Jersey St., in Indianapolis. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and $10 for students. Discount tickets are available for members of the Hispanic community. For more information, call 317-847-9673.) †